Crawford steals two points for Blackhawks against Hurricanes

Corey Crawford stole a game for the Chicago Blackhawks that they had no business winning, making 43 stops in a 3-1 victory against the Carolina Hurricanes. Andrew Shaw scored twice and Patrick Sharp also added a goal as the Hawks moved to within two points of the Nashville Predators and St. Louis Blues in the Central Division.

Carolina, well out of the playoff race in the Eastern Conference, looked every bit like the team in ‘rebuilding’ mode in the first period, getting outworked by the Blackhawks despite outshooting them 10-9. Chicago struck twice in rapid succession, the first a goal by Shaw after a slick past from Marcus Kruger behind the net found him open in the slot. Less than a minute and a half later, the Blackhawks would strike again, this time a goal by Sharp, fed by a streaking Marian Hossa.

After going into the first intermission up by two, the Blackhawks came out flat in the second period, getting outshot 19-6 in the middle frame. They paid the price for their lapse when Victor Rask put a rebound past Corey Crawford after the netminder made the initial stop.

The goal by Rask was the only goal that the Hurricanes would manage to score for the remainder of the game. Crawford stood on his head for the rest of the second and third periods as the Hurricanes peppered him and pressured the Hawks heavily in their own zone. Shaw would put the game away with an empty-netter with assists from Joakim Nordstrom and Jonathan Toews. Toews’ assist was his 500th point in his NHL career, and the victory was also Joel Quenneville’s 750th NHL win.